Chaudière Falls

November 2012

Province: Quebec

Location: Lévis

Height: 40m

Crest: 180m

Water Source: Chaudière River

Waypoint: 46.715533N 71.282719W

Summary: A very large waterfall opposite of Quebec City.
Water is diverted for power generation, but when it is flowing, this
is a massive waterfall. Unfortunately I visited it when the flow was low,
and the lighting was bad.

Chaudière Falls is a large waterfall on the Chaudière River,
just before it enters the Saint Lawrence River.
It is only half the height of the nearby
Montmorency Falls, but it is much, much wider. The
Chaudière River also has three times the average flow of
the Montmorency. A lot of the water is diverted for power
generation before it reaches the falls. Depending on water levels,
the falls can be a span the whole 120m, or be broken up into
several separate segments.

There are a variety of viewing opporutunities at the falls.
On the east side of the river there are a number of
viewing platforms high above the gorge and falls.
Stairs will take you down into the gorge and to
a bridge that spans the river 300m downstream of the falls.
On the west side of falls there are trails and viewing
areas a bit closer to falls.

This is a very easy waterfall to visit. There is a park centered
on the falls. The park is located just off of Autoroute 73.
Exit 130 will take you there.

I visited the falls in November, which is not a good time to see
this waterfall. The flow was greatly reduced. I assume they
divert more water for power generation during the non tourist season.
Also, the falls faces north, and the sun is behind the falls,
and low in the sky, making it hard to take good photos. None
of the photos on this page really do the waterfall justice.

Nearby Falls

There are a lot of waterfalls in this part of the world.
The much smaller
Beauport Falls
and Kabir Kouba Falls
are both within 25km to the north. The equally
large Montmorency Falls
is a 30km drive away, and another 15km beyond that.
Saint Anne Canyon, Sept Chutes,
and
Jean Larose Falls are all about 30km to the east of that.
Dozens of other waterfalls are within an hours drive.

Photo Gallery

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